From time to time, FairVote staff are asked to testify before federal
and state congressional and senate committees. We hope this testimony
will be useful for research purposes or to better understand our positions on pieces of legislation.

Maryland Assembly Early Voting Bill: On February 24, 2005 FairVote
Program Associate Andrew Kirshenbaum testified in front of the Maryland
Assembly regarding H.B. 1046, a proposed bill to permit early voting at
election sites in Maryland.

Preserving Democracy - What Went Wrong
in Ohio:
FairVote's Executive Director Rob Richie submits written
testimony to Congressman John Conyers and others Members of the
House Judiciary Committee concering voting irregularities in Ohio
during the 2004 presidential election and offers suggestions for
electoral reforms to improve the overall quality and security of the
voting process.

Maryland General Assembly--Uniform Voter Registration Age: On February 13 & 14, 2008, FairVote Right to Vote Director Adam Fogel testified before the Maryland Senate's Education, Health and Environmental
Affairs Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee in favor of SB 92 & HB 310, bills setting a uniform voter
registration age of 16-years-old. Maryland General Assembly--Election Day Registration: FairVote Right to Vote Director Adam Fogel and Common Cause Maryland Executive Director Ryan O'Donnell present written testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee in support of HB 801, a bill that would allow Marylanders to register and vote at the same time on Election Day.

California General Assembly--Automatic Voter Registration: The New America Foundation's Political Reform Program Director Steven Hill testifies in favor of AB 2371, a California bill that would automatically register citizens to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles and though state tax forms.Pennsylvania House State Government Committee--17-year-old Primary Voting: FairVote Right to Vote Director Adam Fogel testified before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives State Government Committee and over 100 young people in attendance in favor of allowing 17-year-olds to vote in the primary election if they will be 18 on or before the general election.

D.C. City Council Committee on Government Operations and the
Environment: FairVote Right to Vote Director Adam Fogel testified in
favor of a sweeping election reform bill that includes a series of FairVote-endorsed policies, including youth pre-registration, 17-year-old primary voting, Election Day Registration and a feasibility study for Automatic Voter Registration.

"Most Californians register to vote not because a political cause has touched their heart, but rather because they checked a box on a form at the Department of Motor Vehicles when they received or renewed their driverís license."